The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-02-13
For his brid,, soldier sought her.


pany.
For his bride soldier sought her,
And willy tongue had he;
ON the banks Of Allan water
There none 81 fair "a she.
Il will try TO love you," Bath>heba was
saving in a trembling voice IA BodwOOd
parted from her. And if believe in any way
that shall make you "A good wife, | shall
indeed De willing 10 marry you. But, Mr..
Boldwo"d, hesitation ON 50 high matter is
honorable in any woman. ami | don't want
t. give a solemn promise To night. | would
rather ask YOU To wait few weeks till l can
nv situation letter
But YOU would have every reason to
believe that then
Il have every reason To hope that at the
emf of the five or six weeks between this time
and harvest, that you going to be away
from home, 1 shall te able To promise 10 be
your wife," she said firmly. But remember
this distinctly, don't promise yet
I 1T is enough; / don't ask more. / can
wait ON those dear words. And now, Miss
Ever,iene, good night"
Good night" she said, graciouSly-al
tenderly: ami Boldwood withdrew with a
serene smile
But ON that same night came fate, in the
person of II gay, handsome, lying soldier,
whom Internationally brushed against in her
walk around the place 20 see that every door
was properly closed for the night. His Gre
dentIaIS IA fair face. impudence and fiat
terry and they won as they have won even
greater priz,'> thousands Of times before and
will again, when truth and constancy fail to
even win "A smile Women are never tired Of
REVEALING mani ticklene>> iii love, hut they
only seem to stub his con>taucy. And 80,
astonishing it ws.~. in less than week
Bathsheba hal married the da,hng soldier
with the willy tongue-nIarri-d him suddenly,
without "a moments preparation. His impu-
dent gaantry had fascinated her and she
adore.i him And he n man who lied TO
all women like Cretan. His rule for dealing
with women was either Ia curse az Halter.
He, knew no third method. Treat them
fairly and vou are IA lost man. he would say.
And lie carried out his rule after his mar
riage To Bath>h-ba. file bulli-t her deceived
her spent her money rt,kl,-~-ly ami Nilrly,
tortured her negles te,t AMI ln>ult-i her and
still she loved him. Gabriel Oak and Mr..
Bodwood hooked on and saw the h-art break
AMI scenes of repentance which -u-tlrd from
th, work Of haste, ami suffered, but cOntin-
uerl t. love her silently AMI hop.leS,ly.
one. .lav a dreadful thing happened Fanny
Robin came back and died with baby in
her arms in the wOrkhOII>e. Fanny Robin.
the maid whom Gabriel Oak had seen 10y the
churchyanl wall on the night that he
became. the shepherd of BathsheIa'S farm
and all tine parish and even Bathsheba
learned that Sergt. Troy, Bathsheba's hus-
band had brought her To grief restitution
and death. And over her dead body lle con
fessed himself wretch, and told Bathsheba
that he had never loved her and that the
dead woman more to him than she ever
was or ever could be.
Then he left her and was reported drowned.
and she grew used To the new order OF things
and To experience a relief III being free from
torture, only the torture of the never fading
knowledge that the man she had loved 80 in
ten~ely had never loved her at all. In the
earnest heart of Mr.. BoIiword the flowers of
hope again took root and bloomei: and when
the wear of BathSheEa'> wdowhooi was near
its close he went to her and asked her t.
promise TO marry him, even though the fulfill
ment of the promise was set for the far future
And She feeling that she had once in iured
him in sheer IdeneSs, promised that she would
soon promise. To marry him at the end of six
wears How could they know of the Specter
that touched elbows with them soon a. the
words were spokeni They did not know that
Bathsheba's husband in his busy, aggravat-
ing and troublous body, near. He APP
peared boldly on the scene at the house of Mr.
BoldwoOd at party where Bathsheba was a
guest. Stepping inside he addressed Bathshe-
ba and bale her come with him. He laid "A
hand upon her to pull her out of her seat.
She writhei and gave quick. low scream.
Then there a sudden deafening report, a
fash and volume of gray smoke: and when
the smoke filtered away the dead body of
Sergt. Troy was on the floor; Mr. Bold
wood had shot him. The silent, strong man
had been unnerved 10y his long suffering and
by the repression OF his love. At last, just "a
the doors OF paradi~. had opened To let him
hope the man who had once before ,natchel
the cup Of bliss from his hand appeared.
Even this could have teen borne by Mr.
Boldwood, but when he Bathsheba
shrink from his touch he was frenzied and
killed her tormentor. He had besspme a mad
man. His hopeless love. with all it, battling
incidents, had crazed him. They found many
pathetic proofs of 1t IN hi home. hidden away
from the sight of any
This the result of a girls valentines
thoughtles> folly-fOr which she pail pen
atty Of tears and agony.
The YEAR slipped by and Bath>heda mar
ried Gabriel Oak at last IL came about by
his pretending that be didn't a rap about
her. Indeed. when the villagers started the
report that he and she would marry, he said
10 her that IL was absurd: that he didn't de
sire any such thing. 80 very perver>e are
womens ways. that she gave him 10 under
stand that she didn't think il absurd at all, ,
and when he was sure Of his ground he adj
mitted that he mad danced at her skitti>h heels
for many long mile and many long day,
but considered hi reward ample compen-
satiOn.
They were married; but the sadness over
Mr.. Boldwood's fate never quite lifted from
Bathsheba. Again and again, in remember
ing the past, with its resultant sorrow, did
she say i'll bitter self reproach: That yalen-
tine oh. that valentine"
IAN LEaRr nLINC